History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 137. Episode 136, the Crusade, the Crusade against the Cathars, the Siege of Oat Pole, and the Siege of

Oat Pole, and the Siege of Sant' Antonin.

Hello again.

Last week we saw Simon de Monfor attempt to regain lost ground in an unusual winter campaign.

Unfortunately for Simon, by Easter in the year 1212,

all he had to show for his hard work

was the sum total of two towns recaptured from the Southern French

rebels. However, volunteer crusaders were beginning to trickle in from the North as a recruitment drive attracted some Northern Europeans to the crusade against the Cathars.

Bolstered by these new forces, Simon de Monfour decided to attack the small fortified village of Oatpole.

Oatpole was located high in the Black Mountains. It was so remote and inaccessible that

Lawrence Martin in his book The Oxetan War points out that not many people lived in Oat Pole back in 12 and not many people

live in Oat Pole today.

So why did Simon attack it?

Well, firstly, it had rebelled against him back at the time of the Siege of Castel-Naudry, so it needed to be taught a lesson.

And secondly, it looked down over a mountain pass,

which formed an important communications link between Kastra and Cabaret and any travelers on the road could be spotted from the heights of

Oatpole from a distance of up to 15 kilometers away. As you can imagine from its location, Oatpol was protected by

formidable natural barriers including ravines, crevices, and cliffs.

Simon's army moved out of Kastra and arrived at Ode Pole on Sunday the 8th of April 1212. Accompanying the army was a certain non-combatant, Peter the Monk.

The residents of Oatpole would have seen Simon's army marching towards them on the mountain pass.

Men from the town armed themselves and a group of them moved out to confront the Crusaders as they approached the town.

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